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repartee definition

rep·ar·tee (rep′är tē, -tā)

noun

  1. a quick, witty reply
  2. a series of such rejoinders
  3. skill in making witty replies

Etymology: Fr repartie, fem. pp. of repartir, to return quickly a thrust or a blow, reply < re-, back + partir (L partire), to part

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

repartee Synonyms

repartee

n.

retort, quip, banter, sparring; see answer 1, joke 2, wit 1, 2. See syn. study at wit.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

repartee Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • exchange: Aileen could successfully exchange repartee against a dozen at once.

Adjective modifier

  • witty: Always capable of bringing a smile to the room with his witty repartee, his words of wisdom are not unfortunately, repeatable here.

Noun used with modifier

  • audience: His songs were witty and well crafted with highly intelligent lyrics and his between-song stories and audience repartee were of the same high standard.
repartee usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

repartee quotes

A majority is always the best repartee.

-Disraeli, Benjamin, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield

repartee quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"repartee." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/repartee>

APA Style

repartee. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/repartee

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